Stem Cells on Senate Agenda This Week

[Bob Geiger]

As I reported last week -- though it took a week longer than I expected -- Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was successful at forcing the issue of stem cell research onto the Senate agenda and debate begins today on three pieces of stem-cell related legislation.

The Senate will consider H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which will "amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic stem cell research." The House bill, passed well over a year ago and allowed by Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) to languish in the Senate, would permit federal funding for research using stem cells derived from embryos originally created for fertility treatments and that were expressly donated by patients.

But beware, as H.R. 810 will come to the floor along with two companion bills -- both by the "Opus Dei Boys" Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) -- which, if passed, will water down some features of the main bill.

You can get greater detail about all three bills and the ramifications of this week's Senate debate in my article from last week.

Stay tuned…

You can reach Bob Geiger at [e-mail].